Monday, December 19, 2011

Sinking Ever Lower

AT THE moment on the Age website, news that perhaps several hundred people have gone to their deaths aboard a vessel heading for Christmas Island is being given surprisingly little attention. It is there, but at the very bottom of a list of, presumably, more important matters -- stories detailing, for example, that a man has been bitten by a snake, word that it will be hot on Christmas Day and the news that four people less famous than Ian Meldrum also fell off ladders over the weekend. Go right to the bottom of those and other reports and you find a link to the latest lethal consequence of the Gillard government's arrogant intransigence and incompetence.

Funny that. When another boatload of so-called asylum seekrs went down in 2002, the Age could not get enough of it, filling its pages with lunatic smears like this and this and this. Indeed, on the strength of nothing more than a failed diplomat's rancid speculations, the entire Fairfax press went quite beserk about conspiracies and sabotage and RAN vessels that came across pods of floating refugees and then sailed into the night, leaving them to drown.

And it was all John Howard's doing. Of course it was.

Today, though, a nip from a tiger snake is deemed more newsworthy.

What could possibly have changed between 2002 and now?

UPDATE: Just as the Professor was about to grab a screen image of the Age site, mention of the latest tragedy vanished altogether from the roster of most important stories, which still includes that snake under the doormat.

4 comments:

I noticed the absence too Professor, but do make sure you're seated before opening the following...

"Why does Australia not close the border?," said Esmat Adine, a 24 year old Afghan. "Everyone is coming because the border is open. Everyone is going there and they are being accepted."If Australia does no want asylum seekers to come to Australia [by boat], it is a better way to close all the borders and then no-one will come."

The Spencer Street Hacker had one opinion piece today by some goose called Susan Metcalfe.

"Both parties should now support investing more heavily in tracking those dealers who run the people-smuggling shows in the region.

If the Coalition genuinely wants a policy that deters boat arrivals and ensures the safety and rights of refugees, it should work with the government to ensure the security of anyone returned to Malaysia.

The only Coalition policy that could result in a reduction in boat arrivals is the forcing back of unseaworthy vessels. But the last thing we need is a policy that will further endanger the lives of asylum seekers on the sea."

Note how Ms Metcalfe starts out imploring "both parties" to do something, but, within one paragraph, it is "the Coalition" who apparently don't want a genuine policy.Well darling .... they HAD a genuine policy up until 2007 until Rudd and Julia very cleverly pulled it apart.Her third paragraph suggests that turning back the boats is the only arm to Coalition policy.Hello ..... look up Nauru on the map dear. That was where people went pre 2007 and it successfully cut boat arrivals to almost zero.Susie wants to prosecute the cruise-ship organisers to close down the business.I am waiting for the howls if I manage to get a letter published in the Daily Hacker proposing total prohibition of illegal drugs.Susan and her cohorts will be out in force bleating that it is futile to attempt to shut down an industry which has high profit margins and high demand.Which is where the Greens are headed on both subjects ..... decriminaisation

Agree re George Galloway and his piecev in the Daily Hacker about Iraq.The attribution in the Daily Hacker mentioned he was the MP for some Scottish electorate no doubt with a high proportion of illerates. It failed to mention that this grub was bank-rolled by Saddam Hussein for years